My shave soaps are a mix of mass market & artisan. I don't think I've ever looked at ingredients in my shave soap. It all comes down to performance and soaps that don't irritate my mild rosacea too much. I believe there is truth in the adage that what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. Life is a crapshoot and it all comes down to genes and luck. I've made it into my 70's without ever a thought of what was healthy or safe in anything I eat or use. If I did have a list of concerns, shave soaps would be near the very bottom. I breathe NJ air everyday, and yet, I still live. How can any shave soap be worse than that?
Mass market vs artisan soaps
- Thread starter matthewoli98
- Start date
My shave soaps are a mix of mass market & artisan. I don't think I've ever looked at ingredients in my shave soap. It all comes down to performance and soaps that don't irritate my mild rosacea too much. I believe there is truth in the adage that what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. Life is a crapshoot and it all comes down to genes and luck. I've made it into my 70's without ever a thought of what was healthy or safe in anything I eat or use. If I did have a list of concerns, shave soaps would be near the very bottom. I breathe NJ air everyday, and yet, I still live. How can any shave soap be worse than that?
Of the 30 soaps I’ve tried, both artisan and mainstream, proraso is the only that has given me a headache from the chemicals they use for its fragrance. So laboratory testing doesn’t really impress me. As long as it’s been human tested (reviews and forum as evidence) I’m happy.
It happens. I have headache also if I use a almond based soap. By any manufacturer. I am not saying that Proraso is the safest route. It might be in this uncertified market.
They do have a lot of offerings in the market and they are affordable to try.
I am not against individual soap makers, but trust is necessary.
I primarily use artisan soaps at home. Is Hasslingers artisan or mass produced? I do use that sometimes. But I use Arko on the road. I travel extensively, so Arko sees quite a bit of the action. So I have a good split between the two.
Mass produced.
Well there you go. I use some mass produced soaps at home then. But 90% artisan at minimum. Thanks for the clarification.
I wouldn't consider Fine, PAA, Razorock or Sterling artisan either. They have grown significantly and are selling a lot of product worldwide through dealers.
Andreas Haslinger has one employee who makes his family’s shaving soap. When out someone will fill in occasionally.
He certainly believes his soap as artisan.
Wow, one employee? Can you link a reference for this info?
No way one employee makes all the Haslinger soaps using mostly non-mechanized means. Then again, artisan is one of those uncontrolled advertising words anyone can slap on a container.
I think no one should spend more for improvements they don't see or feel.
Ingredients matter to me. Facts matter to me.
"You might have heard that sure, parabens and other chemicals in your skin care are bad if ingested, but they can't penetrate your skin so you don't have anything to worry about. The fact is, much of what we place on our skin is absorbed into our bloodstream. Just think about nicotine and birth control patches."
This has been well known for a long time. I simply can't find the "logic" in adding more suspect chemicals because there are already bad things in the air, etc.
But I'm fine with you using whatever makes you happy. I'm even fine with however you justify it to yourself. But I would be remiss as a forum member and member of the planet if I failed to point out the almost total lack of science in the justifications.
Ingredients matter to me. Facts matter to me.
"You might have heard that sure, parabens and other chemicals in your skin care are bad if ingested, but they can't penetrate your skin so you don't have anything to worry about. The fact is, much of what we place on our skin is absorbed into our bloodstream. Just think about nicotine and birth control patches."
This has been well known for a long time. I simply can't find the "logic" in adding more suspect chemicals because there are already bad things in the air, etc.
But I'm fine with you using whatever makes you happy. I'm even fine with however you justify it to yourself. But I would be remiss as a forum member and member of the planet if I failed to point out the almost total lack of science in the justifications.
Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
Rather like "New & Improved", "Designed in California" and so on.
Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
Wow, who thought skin was impenetrable? It's the bodies single biggest organ. I had an allergy test about 30 years ago and even then they tested for paraben allergy. It's one of the few that I had. Plus now they know a lot more about parabens than they did years ago. Nasty crap like it mimics estrogen. That's great stuff to be putting on. No wonder males today are a bunch of metrosexual messes.
Metrosexual is one I haven't heard before. I think males get various sexual identities when the population is too high or when it's a bad time to raise children. I just ask which pronoun they prefer and what name they like to be called. There must be a reason we are called homosapiens.
Interesting point on the estrogen. Imagine how much we are getting from dairy products and beef. In my opinion, the growth hormones are one cause of obesity.
Let's not forget the scents themselves can affect our hormones. If we smell a steak, our stomach releases the right amount of acid to digest it. If we smell a steak without getting to eat one, that can cause problems.
Smell smoke in the house, and we feel fear and jump into action. Smell the same smoke from a fireplace, and we don't think about it.
This was a clever lead-in, in my biased opinion, for the case to always use the same scents. It will be one factor that a primate (primarily looking for a mate) will be attracted to. If I give off a scent that isn't me, I might end up with a friend or partner not suited to me.
Don't forget "organic" and "natural."
The only reason I sometimes prefer "artisan" soaps is that I like to patronize small businesses with good customer service, largely because it's good for our wet shaving hobby as it encourages entrepreneurship and increased product choice and competition.
However, there are many "mass market" offerings that are excellent and better than some "artisan" products. "Mass market" is also a misleading term as shaving soap is a very niche product, and "big" soap companies are often not much larger than "artisan" operation or the big companies subcontract their shaving soap to smaller/artisan companies (e.g., Art of Shaving's soap used to be made by Valobra).
on a serious level.. just use what works for you and enjoy your shaves.. i am in both camps, got loads of artisans, most of which i like and one that i absolutely love.. and in the mass market i love my Tabac but proraso just dont do it for me
I'm just happy and secure that so many people know how to make really good shaving soap. If shavamagedon ever happens we are in really good shape.
Beautiful thing about this forum is that it allows all of us to exist and interact no matter what views we have on wetshaving. From penny pinchers to the boys that spend a small fortune on soap, we all get to talk to others like us. Ingredient worry warts to the better life through chemistry crowd get to read about all the options available to us. I doubt there have ever been so many options or a place to talk about them like the internet provides. I think it’s pretty cool how many opinions there are. I have enjoyed cheapie creams from all over the world and an occasional artisan soap that really works well. If this site didn’t exist, I would still be using a can.
imagine unironically believing you have to spend $500 on razors and $500 on soap to get a good shave
